NEWS They can bend light, control sound and give materials entirely new properties. Metamaterials are currently one of the most discussed research fields in physics. Their future potential is engaging researchers around the world and was recently highlighted at a Nobel Symposium in Umeå.
Research on metamaterials is advancing quickly. While scientists continue to develop new types of metamaterials, growing interest is emerging in how the underlying ideas can be applied across entirely different disciplines.
ImageMattias PetterssonWho has not dreamed of an invisibility cloak like the one used by Harry Potter? It sounds like magic, but it could become reality with the help of so-called metamaterials.
In the summer of 2026, some of the world's leading researchers in the field gathered in Umeå for a Nobel Symposium on metamaterials. The symposium was organised by Nicolò Maccaferri, Associate Professor at Umeå University. He studies these special materials, which over the past few decades have proven useful in fields ranging from telecommunications to medical technology.
“Unlike most other materials, the properties of metamaterials are determined not primarily by the atoms and molecules they are made of, but by their design,” says Nicolò Maccaferri.
He compares them to a musical instrument: the sound it produces depends not only on whether it is made of wood or metal, for example, but also on its shape.
Recently, he published a Comment in the journal Nature Materials together with international colleagues, describing how the field has inspired an entirely new way of thinking about scientific problems.
The concept of metamaterials was introduced in the late 1990s. It is based on the idea that very small structures, smaller than a wavelength, can be used as building blocks to give materials the ability to control waves, whether electromagnetic, acoustic or seismic, in ways that do not occur in nature.
“Instead of asking only what a material naturally does, we ask what we want it to do – and then design its structure to achieve that function,” says Nicolò Maccaferri.
The figure illustrates how metamaterials replace nature’s own building blocks with engineered structures. This makes it possible to design materials with entirely new functions.
ImageAlexander Dmitriev, Göteborgs universitetInterest in metamaterials took off when researchers showed that such structures could, in principle, be designed to guide light around an object, potentially rendering it invisible.
Today, there are already many promising applications of metamaterials. They can be used to make very thin camera lenses, improved solar cells, better displays and sensitive detectors. They can also control sound and ultrasound, which could be useful in noise reduction and medical imaging.
“I find the sensing and healthcare applications especially exciting. Imagine small, fast and affordable devices that can detect early signs of disease, monitor the environment or analyse food quality,” says Nicolò Maccaferri.
He also sees great potential in communication technology, where smart surfaces could help guide wireless signals more efficiently in buildings, cities and future communication networks.
The field has also given rise to a new way of looking at materials and technology more broadly. In Nature Materials, the researchers describe it as ‘the meta way of thinking’. It started with the study of light and sound waves but is now spreading to many other areas, including mechanics, chemistry, biology and computing.
“It encourages researchers to ask bold questions such as ‘what if?’ and ‘why not?’. It is no longer only about describing nature, but also about exploring what else might be possible beyond the limits we once thought were impossible,” says Nicolò Maccaferri.
